Improvement in street-cars



C. M. MURCH.

Street-Cars. A

NOTZ. Patented Feb. 10.1874.

IUlvrran STATES PATENT OFFICE OHAUNCEY lVI. MURCH, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN STREETCARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,42l dated February 10, 1874 application Bled January 5, 1874.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, CHAUNCEY M. MUROH, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specication:

My invention is particularly designed for the class of public cars or vehicles employed or designed to run either upon an ordinary track, or else upon paved streets or turnpike roads; and the iirst part of my improvements consists in imparting to the body of the vehicle such shape as will render it capable of accommodatingin a commodious manner a large number of passengers, without being so wide as to render it bulky, and consequently an impediment to street traffic.

The said car-body is rounded at its forward end, in front of which the drivers platform is attached. From said rounded end the body curves rearward, with bulging sides, which, as they approach the hind wheels, curve inward to form a contracted portion to accommodate said wheels. This contracted portion connects the body proper with the rear platform, and thereby constitutes an aisle, through which the car is entered from said platform, the latter being provided with two pairs of steps, so as to a-llow ready access to the same. These steps, instead of being arranged parallel with the sides of the vehicle, are oblique thereto, thus allowing two commodious entrances to the car, without unduly increasing the length of the platform. Y

My improvements also comprise a novel method of connecting the body to the runninggear of the vehicle, the details of said connec- 1 tion being hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a street-car embodying my improvements, the guards or fenders ofthe rear wheels being removed. Fig. 2 is a plan of the body, the roof or deck thereof being removed, and the wheel-fenders being indicated.VV by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a partiallysectioned side elevation, the guards being in position.

A represents my preferred form of body proper, or part designed for the accommoda tion of passengers. The front end of said body is rounded at B, while its sides are bowed outwardly or bulged at C C', and have customary seats at o c', attached to or abutting against them. That portion of the body in rear of the bulge C C is contracted, as at a, so as to provide ways or recesses for t-he rear wheels L L', and thus prevent their too great protrusion into the street, and also so as to enable them to run on an ordinaryr streetrailroad track, if desired, so as not to obstruct the thoroughfare, the said contracted portion serving, at the same time, as an aisle or passage-way, through which persons may enter the car after alighting upon the platform D. By thus locating the aisle a, an undue width of the carbody at this part is entirely obviated, while the bulged portions C C provide ample room for passengers and baggage in the main body, where such expansion is unobjectionable. The rear platform D is provided with two flights of steps, d d', which may descend as low down toward the ground as desirable. These flights are arranged neither parallel with the sides nor with the rear ot' the car, as has heretofore been done, but they are placed in an oblique position, as shown in Fig. 2. This oblique arrangement of the steps affords two commodious entrances or gangways without increasing the length of the platform to an objectionable extent, besides which these oblique steps allow passengers to have access to said platform, `either at the sides or end of the same, which is an advantage that will render my car especially convenient in crowded streets. Securely attached to the front end of the body is an open framework or bracket, I, that is composed of T angle-iron, whose parts are so arranged as to resist, in the most effective manner, the various strains to which it is subjected, and so as to combine strength with lightness. The bracket I supports'and has secured to it an elevated dickey or platform, A', for the use of the driver, and said dickey may be provided with a seat, a', for the accommodation of passengers who may prefer this part of the vehicle. Supported a suitable distance above the body A, upon uprights E, is the roof or deck F of the car, which roof terminates at its rear end in a canopy or screen, f, that extends over the platfornr'l). An opening, g, in the root', protected by a raised port-ion, (l, allows the car to be ventilated in the most thorough manner. The forward end of the roei", at its mid-width, is provided with a recess or niche, Il, l'or thereception ot' a lamp, lrl, that will be i'ound more fully described in the sequel. The spaces between the body and the root' may be Jfurnished with customary glass windows.

The car-body is supported upon its runninggear in the following manner: The bracket l1 is attached to the body A, and may encircle and tirmly embrace the entire front part thereof, in the manner shown. This bracket rests upon a suitable bolster or upper member, J ot' a customary tit'th-wheel, J J", whose two members are secured by an ordinary king-bolt, J, and whose lower member J is secured to and supported upon the front axle J by two or more pairs of springs, consisting each one of a steel band blade or 1r late bent into the represented pear-shaped or pyritorm loop j j', whose ends are brought and clamped near together and secured to the front axle in the represented or any suitable manner. The upper side or inemberj ot' each loop is comparable to a C-spring, with which the lower portion co-operates as an auxiliary support and counter-brace, resulting in a spring of remarkable elasticity, sensitiveness, and stability, having all the good qualities of the C- s1 ri1'1g,with more than double its capacity, endurance, and resilient power. Any suitable projections, U U', from the lower member J of the fifth-wheel rest either on the concavities of the lower members of the loops or in sockets vattached to any part ofthe loops removed from their point ot' attachment to the axletree. Additional leaves or blades applied on the under side ot' either the upper or the lower member of the loop, or both, may be used to any extent desirable. The hind wheels L L are journaled upon suitable spindles l lf, that project at any desired height from the vertical positions of peculiarly t'ormed and braced rectangular open frame or double-bent axletree l', which encircles the car-body near its rear end, said body being upheld or suspended. within and connected to said axletree by springs, which may be precisely similar to those which support the front of the car-body and be similarly attached to the axle-tree, and maybe located either at the sides of the body, as shown, or above orbelow the same.

As the above-mentioned encircling frame l. and looped springsjj will be made the subjects ot' separate application for patent, a more specific description of their details ot construction is unnecessary in this place. Although preferring the peculiar-looped spring, substantially as herein shown and described, l'reserve the option of supporting my earbody on springs of any suitable form.

As the connection of the rear axle to the car-body by means of the looped springs would not, of itself, be suiiicient to maintain the encircling axle-tree in its proper vertical position and distance from the front axle, in order to preserve such position without restricting the rocking action of the respective axle, and to guard the springs from the strain of sudden jerks in the direction of draft, l provide four or more strips or blades, N Nl O O', preferably of spring-steel, and of which the blades N N extend rearward from the lower portion of the bracket I, or from the front end of the car-body to the lower part of the encircling axle-tree or axle-tree frame I. Similarly, the top of the encircling axle-tree is connected to the upper front part of the body, or to the upper part of 11 encircling frame, I, attached thereto by the overhead braces O O. A transverse brace, l?, unites the npperends of the two members l I of the encircling axle-tree.

The braces N N O operate to protect the supportin g-sprin gs against the strain incident to sudden obstructions, and are also otherwise useful, as, for example, any impediment or i11- equality in the thoroughfare tending to lift or depress either oneof the wheels will not seriously disturb the vehicle, because there is sutlicient capability of torsion in the said braces to take up or compensate for such disturbance, this limberness of the bra-ces at the saine time preserving them from liability to fracture.

By the above-described arrangement, the car is so freely suspended as to yield in every direction, and to thus render it a very easy and pleasant vehicle to ride in besides, there is none ofthe disagreeable rattling noise peculiar to ordinary street-cars and omnibuses.

The lamp lil, previously alluded to, consists essentially of a trame provided with four concave reiecters, l, 2, 3, and 4, and two opposite glass sides or windows, R BJ, of which the window lt allows light from the burner H to be emitted in front of the car, between the horses, so as to enable the driver to scc clearly the best route to be taken, and to avoid any obstruction or impediment. The other window, lt', serves to illuminate the interior ofthe car. This forward and rearward illumina-tion is accomplished by placing the burner ll in the common focus of the four concave reilectors, which latter, in conjunction with top reflectors 5 6, serve to prevent any waste ot' the light by dispersion of the rays in either a lateral or an upward direction. T represent screens or guards to the rear wheels.

My car may be vfurnished with any suitable system of brakes.

A summer arrangement ol' this car may have the seats facing outwardly, leaving a well for baggage in the center.

l claim as new and of my invention-=- l. The car or carriage body A, supported at the rear by springs within a suspension frame or axle, connected to the front part of the body by pliable ties N N O O', substantially as set forth,

4. The front frame I, as described, for the purposes specied.

In testimony of Which invention I hereunto set my hund.

CHAUNGEY M. MURGH. Attest:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, JAMES H. LAYMAN. 

